A presentation of Greece by the Greek Embassy and the Press Office in Warsaw took place at the European Information Centre of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 19th March 2010 (www.cie.gov.pl).
Various aspects of Greece were presented by the Deputy Head of Mission, Paraskevi Charitidou, and the Press Attache, Maria Mondelou.
The audience, 70 students of higher secondary schools of Warsaw, was informed about Greece`s geostrategic position, its political system, the participation in international organizations, such as the EU and the NATO, the Greek Presidencies in the EU.
A brief presentation of the Greek history, mainly during the modern and contemporary period, was followed by characteristic examples of Greek culture, in the fields of literature, poetry, music, theatre and cinema.
Views of the New Acropolis Museum were presented, as well as Greece`s request for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles.
During the discussion, the students were informed about Greece`s foreign policy, the situation of the Greek economy, tourism, the educational system and the scholarships offered for foreign students. They were, also, particularly interested about the image of Poles in Greece and their life.
The European Information Centre, that invited the Greek Embassy to make the presentation of Greece, organizes annually discussions with representatives of the EU member states.

Papoulias Inaugurates OSCE Meeting

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias inaugurated yesterday the 17th Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), taking place in Athens (1-2/12).
Papoulias welcomed delegates from the OSCE’ s 56 member states and described the international meeting as “an important political event and an opportunity to strengthen peaceful cooperation and promote the common goals of the member states, in order to reach tangible and substantive conclusions.”

Most Costly Shopping Destinations

Among the most expensive streets in the world for 2009, is Athens’ Ermou Street, ranking 12th, compared to last year, when it was 9th. The top three in the list are New York’s 5th Avenue, worth €13,000 per square metre, Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay worth €11,600 Paris’s Avenue des Champs Elysses, worth €7,700, while Athens’ Ermou is €3,100. Among the top ten expensive streets, Europe boasts streets in Paris, London, Milan, Zurich, Dublin and Munich which was this year’s surprise.The crisis in the real estate market seems to have significantly affected prices; however, these streets’ locations become a magnet, especially for major commercial brands.

Shopping & the City

Starting from Syntagma Square and stretching to the historic centre of Monastiraki, close to the Acropolis, this pedestrian road gathers shops for all tastes, as well as picturesque outdoor coffee shops, ideal for the city’s sunny and mild days. Differentiating the Greek tourist product is the key to holding on to the country’s successful market shares. To this end, special tourist destinations such as the city of Athens must receive more attention becoming even more competitive destinations in the “city break” section. More information: Ermou.gr: List of Brands; Breathtaking Athens: Athens Shopping

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) According to the Ministry of Culture, the latest numbers show that within the first two months of its operation (June 21-August 26), the new Acropolis Museum has so far attracted more than 500, 000 visitors, 60% of whom were foreigners. Meanwhile, within the same timeframe, 409,000 users from 180 countries accessed the Museum’s webpage. As of September, the Museum launches its educational programmes destined to both pupils and teachers. The opening of the Museum as well as its first days of operation, together with background information on the campaign for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles received extensive coverage by foreign media.